Platform scale with concrete curbed deck



y 6, 1969 c. E. MARION 3,442,343

PLATFORM SCALE WITH CONCRETE CURBED DECK Filed June 12, 1967 Sheet of 4 m/vmron Egi- 24:05 E. MAR/0N 0,,MJz/AAMLZLALL ATTORNEYS C. E. MARION May 6, 1969 PLATFORM SCALE WITH CONCRETE CURBED DECK Z of 4 Sheet Filed June 12, 1967 C. E. MARION May 6',

PLATFORM SCALE WITH CONCRETE CURBED DECK Sheet Filed June 12, 1967 //V VE/V TOR CLYDE E. MAR/0N BY 0w, 5M

C. E. MARION May 6, 1969 PLATFORM SCALE WITH CONCRETE CURBED DECK Sheet Filed June 12, 1967 //V VEA/TOR E MAR/0N vm .3 wk

arramvsrs United States Patent 1 Int. Cl. G01g 19/02 US. Cl. 177-134 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This platform scale, of the type having a pit in which a scale mechanism is sunk and bordered by walls providing a paved surface, has a deck which is separate from the surrounding paving and rests upon a weighbridge, has a pair of longitudinal curbs along each side edge, and at each end has a supporting beam projecting out. The adjacent walls of the paved surface facing the beam are provided with a floating bridging plate which bridges over the gap around the scale deck and extends over on top of the beam, resting thereon and floating therewith. The end of said plate facing the deck is beveled to provide a knifelike scraping edge, and the edge of the deck facing the floating bridging plate is provided with a steel edge bar secured to the beam.

This invention relates to improvements in permanently installed, large scales for weighing heavy vehicles such as trucks and railroad cars.

Heretofore such scales have provided as a deck a large, reinforced concrete slab, or the like, supported by the weighbridge, and separated from the surrounding environment, which is usually also concrete, by a gap that enables the weighbridge to move up and down as weight is placed on the deck or removed from it. These conventional scales have resulted in problems, because trash and portions of some loads have tended to fall down through thegap and have caused trouble. Sometimes, especially where the scales have been used in Windy weather to weigh uncovered loads of gravel, dirt, sand, ore, and so on, the material has fallen through the gap and has built up in time to such an amount as to interfere with the weighing. At other times, the same factors have resulted in a wedging action. Moreover, it has been very diflicult to keep the decks of such scales clean without aggravating the situation, because, when the deck is swept, some, if not all, of the material swept from the deck is swept into the gaps. At times, this has been intentional on the part of janitors who were not familiar with the damage it might do to the scale, and they viewed their action as a convenient way of getting rid of the dirt on the scale deck. At other times, it has been accidental, where the person involved had to sweep some material across the gap in order to get the dirt to the area surrounding the deck.

Water has also beena problem with these scales. Direct rain falling in the gaps has been negligible, but the rain from the entire deck has tended to flow down the gaps, and when a truck is weighed in the rain, the rain has carried dirt and other pollutants with it. Chemical trucks have been particularly bad, as the rain has washed corrosive matter into the cracks and damaged the scale thereby.

The problems may at first sight seem minor, but these large scales are quite expensive, and when such scales have been used over a large period of time, as in weighing numerous highway trucks or off-the-highway vehicles, or railroad cars, the scales being subject to regular use and especially where the loads being weighed are materials such as sand and gravel, the problem has become quite 3,442,343 Patented May 6, 1969 serious. Scales have had to be withdrawn from operation for a considerable period of time, for a major operation is required to clean out the space into which the dirt has fallen. Usually such scales have not been provided with cleanout entries, and it is usually impractical to put in a manhole or something of that nature; even if there is a manhole, it is difiicult for a man who is able to get down inside to gain access to the places from which he has to remove the dirt. Hence, it has usually necessitated complete removal of the scale weighbridge and even of other parts of the scale; this has been quite an expensive and lengthy job, and it has been difficult to put the scale back into operation with the expected accuracy.

The present invention is directed to this problem. It provides a reinforced concrete scale deck of the general type heretofore used, but with some important key differences. A pair of longitudinal curbs that go the full length of the deck are provided on each side of the deck and these serve to prevent material from simply being blown or swept into the gaps at the sides of the deck. At each end of the scale the gap is covered by an overlap construction which enables the scale to, be. operated but which opens the gap only a small amount and then during the time the scale is actually in use; Toaccomplish these things is not quite as simple as may at first seem, and has meant a reconstruction of theweighbridge at the ends. The results, however, are well worth the changes which have to be made, and these changes are made by the present invention in a relatively inexpensive manner.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of a preferred form thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a scale deck embodying the principles of the invention broken in the middle in order to conserve space.

FIG. 2 is a transverse section view of FIG. 1 but also showing a part of the read-out mechanism and the platform where the observer reads the weight.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section of FIG. 1 and is similarly broken in the middle.

, of'the scale.

FIG. 6 is a view like FIG. 2 of a modified form of the invention.

A scale deck 10 embodying the principles of the invention is shown in the drawings as a reinforced concrete slab of rectangular shape provided along each side with a very important curb 11, 12 which is strengthened as shown in FIG. 2 by a channel member 13, 14 to give the necessary strength for the curb 11, 12 at this point. The channel 13, 14 extends along the side edge of the curb 11, 12. The tops 15 of the curbs 11, 12 are preferably level with the surrounding paving 16, but the curbs 11, 12 prevent ready access of material on the deck 10 to the gaps 17, 18 and definitely and effectively discourage the sweeping of dirt andsand and so on into the gaps. They also prevent water from flowing from the deck into these gaps.

At each end of the deck 10, an I-beam 20, 21 is provided along edges 22, 23. The I-beams extend the full width of the deck 10 and are not only supported by the concrete but are also supported by a channel iron 24, 25 secured to the ends of the weighbridge 26 at this location. The weighbridge 26 includes a series of channel members and 'I-beams which support the deck along various lateral and longitudinal lines, and it rests on a lever system 27, which forms no part of the invention, but is illustrated somewhat schematically and is shown extending out to the read-out portion in FIG. 2, where the showing is considerably simplified.

At each end the paving 28 adjacent the deck is provided with an angle iron 30, 31, which supports a plate 32, 33 having a beveled edge 34. The plates 32, 33 are adapted to float with the deck 10 and to cover the end gaps 35, extending out over the end gap 35 and over the I-beam 20, 21, resting on top of the adjacent I-beam 20, 21 so that when someone sweeps the scale, the dirt can simply be swept off across on this plate 32, 33, going up the level 34. The floating action is obtained by embedding tubes 36 in the concrete paving 28 to provide sockets for pins 37 and by providing oversize openings 38 in the plates 32, 33. Thus, the plates 32, 33 are aligned and located relative to the paving 28 but can move up and down with the deck 10 and, so far as tare weight is concerned, are treated as part of the deck 10. Thus, the gap 35 is never uncovered.

A bar 39 is welded to each I-beam 20, 21 and forms a hard edge for the concrete of the deck 10. A concrete edge above the I-beam 20, 21 might crumble, but not the steel edge bar 39, which thereby protects the deck. The beveled edge 34 acts like a knife to lift off embedded mud in the space between the edge 34 and the bar 39, and let it be carried away. Also, little Water stays in this space, but rather flows out from the deck 10 (which preferably is crowned at the center and slopes slightly to front and rear) and away over the paving 28.

It will be noted that the scale itself is set into a pit 40 having a bottom or floor 41 with walls 42 around the pit. The end walls extend up to approximately the level of the platform 10 as shown in FIG. 3, while the side walls preferably go up to the top of the curbs 11, 12. Thus, there is in effect a rim around the deck 10. Adjacent to this rim there may be a paved roadway which leads up to the scale and gives vehicles access to it. For railroad cars there will, of course, be rails on the scale deck as well as on the approaches to it. The curbs 11, 12 at the side keep the material from being swept into the gaps 17, 18 except by a very purposeful janitor (who will find this hard work), and they also prevent material from simply blowing into it or washing into it readily. The end plates 32, 33 complete the assembly and provide a floating cover for the gaps 35 and a way for sweeping or washing the deck 10 without letting material get into the pit 40.

FIG. 6 shows a modified form of the invention. The deck 50 is substantially the same as the deck 10, and the reference numerals remain the same when the parts are unchanged. The surrounding paving 51 is sloped and the manhole cover 52 is concrete. An overhanging drain plate 53, 54 on each side of the deck is secured to the top of the curbs 11, 12 and extends out over and past the gaps 17, 18 carrying water or gravel or other things from the curbs 11, 12 over to the sloping paving 51 and thus away from the scale.

I claim:

1. In a platform for weighing vehicles and the like, of a type having a pit in which a scale mechanism is sunk, said pit being bordered by walls providing a paved surface around the scale and particularly at the access and egress to it, said scale having a deck which is separate from the surrounding paving and rests upon a weighbridge, the improvement comprising said deck having a pair of longitudinal curbs along each side edge thereof and having at each end thereof a supporting beam projecting from said deck, the adjacent walls of the paved surface facing said beam being provided with a floating bridging plate which bridges over the gap between the scale deck and the Walls and extends over on top of the beam, resting thereon and floating therewith.

2. The scale of claim 1 wherein the end of said' plate facing said deck is beveled to enable sweeping from the deck over said plate and to provide a knife-like scraping edge.

3. The scale of claim 1 wherein the edge of the deck facing the floating bridging plate is provided with a steel edge bar secured to said I-beam.

4. The scale of claim 1 wherein each curb has a gap spanning plate secured thereto and sloping down on its outward portion, to carry material over the gap beside said deck and away therefrom.

5. The scale of claim 4 wherein the paving adjacent the curb is lower than the curb and slopes down and away therefrom.

6. A platform scale for weighing vehicles and the like, comprising: a paved frame defining a pit,

a scale mechanism, including a weighbirdge, sunk in said pit, the walls of said frame bordering the pit providing a paved surface therearound, said scale having a deck which is separate from the surrounding paving and rests upon said weighbridge, said deck having a pair of longitudinal curbs, one along each side edge thereof, and having at each end thereof a supporting beam projecting from said deck,

the adjacent walls of said frame facing said beam being provided with afloating plate which bridges over and covers the gap between the scale deck and the frame and extends on top of said beam and rests on it and floats with it.

7. The scale of claim 6 wherein the end of said plate facing said deck is beveled.

8. The scale of claim 6 wherein said frame has beneath each plate, a pair of vertical tubes embedded therein and a pin in each tube projecting abovethe paved surface, said plate having oversize openings therethrough which said pins extend to align said plate while leaving it free to float with said deck.

9. The scale of claim 6 wherein each curb has a gapspanning plate secured thereto and sloping down on its outward portion, to carry material over the gap beside said deck and away therefrom.

10. The scale of claim 9 wherein the paving adjacent the curb is lower than the curb and slopes down and away therefrom.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1949 Burum RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

G. H. MILLER, 111., Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

Patent No. 3,442,343 Dated May 6, 1969 Inventorw Clyde E. Marion It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

[- Column 3, line 58, insert scale after "platform"; Column 4, line 24, "weighbirdge" should read weighbridge Column 4, line 43, insert through after "therethrough".

SIGNED AND SEMED FEB 2 4 1970 (Sm M v EaMn,nm.," l A WILLIAM SOiUIYBaJM htwfi om 

